


When the Sun Goes Down

by englishmuff



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Rape/Non-con, They all deserved better, but this is the first time ive written one, i just started writing and we ended up here, idk - Freeform, ive always read fanfic, katherine howard deserved better, lets be honest, my ofc deserved better, please stay safe friends, thats important, woohoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:29:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23005756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/englishmuff/pseuds/englishmuff
Summary: Luella Eldridge would never betray anyone, not willingly, anyway. So when everything around her crumbled, and she was ordered to be beheaded, she held herself high, knowing she was right. But when she wakes up in a new world, a new time, she feels overwhelmingly... alone. But maybe, just maybe, some new friends can help her feel loved again.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. A New World

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my very first fanfic posted, and I'm pretty nervous, but we're here for a good time, not a long time, so do what makes you happy! Thank you so much for reading!

Luella Eldridge looked out at the crowd that was roaring for her death. She always thought impending death would be nerve-wracking, should make her so nervous she broke down. But she felt strangely nothing. No fast-beating heart. No falter in her step. She walked to the block, hitching up her hem as to not trip over it. Luella's mind was clear as she laid her head down, waiting for the swordsman to strike. As she heard the grunt of the swordsman, lifting his blade to kill her, she remarked how blue the sky was, and how lovely the sun was. A bird flew overhead and Luella Eldridge took her final breath. 

Everything went dark. Of course everything would go dark, she had expected it to. But then she drew another breath. Without thinking, she gulped down the air. It seemed polluted, but she didn't care. If she was breathing, she was still alive, and that would be enough reason to keep gasping for breath after breath. She opened her eyes, expecting darkness yet again, but found a yellow light looking down on her. It seemed to be coming for the black pole in the stone ground, and Luella, scrambled to it, hugging it. It was better than comforting herself, and she sobbed… when had she started crying? She hastily wiped her eyes, surprised to find her hands attached to her body, attached to her head. Her hands flew to her neck, and when she touched it, cloth met her fingers. Clawing down the strip to her lower neck, she found something sticky and wet.   
Blood.  
She drew back her hands in disgust. Everything was too overwhelming. Not caring about getting dirty anymore, she held her head in her bloody hands and cried. She cried there until the yellow light turned off and a cloudy sky appeared above her head. Realizing she was… somewhere, Luella pushed herself up with the black pole, too weak to stand herself up. 

This somewhere seemed oddly familiar, even though strange buildings lined the street, and the street was much wider than any street she'd seen before, and odd horseless carriages flew past, much faster than any horse Luella had ever seen. Clutching onto the black pole as if it was her lifeline, Luella gazed upon what she somehow knew as the 21st century.

Luella had been wandering around the village she found herself in for a couple minutes and had discovered 3 things.  
1) She was not wearing her dress, or undergarments. She was wearing pants, and surprisingly comfortable ones at that. They were blue and had pockets in the back. Luella wanted to keep these pants wherever she went. She was also wearing a type of overcoat that was long-sleeved, but cropped short, to her waist. The most shocking thing was that it was light purple. Luella had never had anything purple, the most expensive color, too expensive for some royalty even, let alone a whole article of clothing the entire color. A cloth necklace of some kind adorned her neck, and it kept blood from being seen, for which she was grateful. Also, comfy black shoes that had quaint white laces. Luella decided she really liked fashion of the 21st century.   
2) She had money. She didn't recognize the faces on the money, and they seemed to be on cotton paper instead of metal coins, but they had a set amount and Luella saw people buy things with similar pieces of cotton paper. When she counted all the pieces, she had 200 dollars. She nearly fainted when she finished counting. That was much more money than she had had at any point in time, ever.  
3) She was in London. However, everything was so much bigger and cleaner than she was used to. Long, ornate bridges led to parks and big buildings, and people were bustling about all around. They were hurrying to get places, and even took the fast horseless carriages without fear. Men and women traveled separately, with no hesitation.  
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Luella glanced up at the tall buildings, seeing the clouds part to a small piece of blue. Just that piece of what she was used to, the sky, gave her a little confidence.

She sat on a bench in a park she found. The trees were gorgeous shades of green, starting to turn yellow, and Luella drank it all in. Back in her London, the air stank of waste and trees were never as beautiful as this. A couple walked a dog in front of her and Luella took all of her self-restraint to not pet the dog. Even back in the 16th century, Luella loved dogs. 

Absentmindedly, she played with her hair, which she had discovered was much shorter than her usually long light brown hair. It was much darker and much curlier now, and her skin was darker as well, something Luella was shocked to see at first, but she got more used to it as the day progressed. The thought occurred to her that maybe she should figure out why she was here, in London, in the 21st century, but her thoughts felt like mush, and her head was throbbing from crying. She laid down on the park bench and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the city wash over her.

Luella woke up to screaming. Her own, in fact. She had been dreaming of her life in 1568, and his hands that had touched her in places she didn't want, and the screams of her queen, the good Queen Bess, her majesty, who thought Luella betrayed her. Luella screamed and screamed,   
"It was William who was dishonorable, he hurt me, my Queen, I would never disobey you, I am part of your court! Your Majesty, I am your one of your ladies-in-waiting, I would not dare lay eyes on a man! It was William, you must believe me, it was William!"  
Then the blade went down on her neck, and Luella shivered all over from fear, head light. Why is she fearing now, and not when her life was in actual danger? Why is she laying in the grass, clawing at her neck, screaming at a now-dead queen? Yelling about the man who did her wrong, and made her pay for it?

Suddenly, there was something taking her hands. Thinking it was a guard, come to tie her hands up and lead her to her block where she would be beheaded, making her relive her death yet again, Luella struggled against it. It seemed so real. She can't be killed again, not just as she's exploring this new world! 

But, a soothing voice came, and Luella calmed down, just a bit. Letting herself break down in sobs, the person held onto her hands, murmuring hushed reassurances that Luella couldn't make out over her gasping breaths. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes, Luella's breathing evened out and every emotion fell away, as if she was a shell of a person. The person holding her hands, asked,  
"Is it alright if I give you a hug, mi amor?"  
Too tired to speak, Luella simply nodded. As she fell into the woman, she could tell it was a woman from the perfume and hair, she vaguely thought about this lady trapping her, pulling her into a false sense of security. 

Luella backed out of the hug quickly, mind racing with all the possible scenarios, but the woman seemed to understand, She simply stood up and offered her hand to help Luella up, not in a threatening way, but an I'll-help-you-and-you'll-be-ok kind of way. Warily, Luella took the stranger's hand, and as she stood up, the woman smiled warmly. She sat herself down on the bench and the stranger looked at her in a curious way. 

Not trusting herself to speak yet, Luella was glad when the woman said,  
"I'm Catherine, uh, Catherine Aragon. Are you feeling any better? Also, sorry if this is a little forward, but you were talking to 'your Queen Bess'?"  
Seeing Luella's panicked expression, Catherine added on,  
"You don't have to answer, I was just curious! But I do know quite a bit about the good Queen Bess, and was wondering how you seemed to know her. You seem barely 19."  
Avoiding the main question, Luella said,  
"I'm 18."  
Catherine seemed shocked that Luella said anything at all, and said,  
"You're 18?"

Luella tempted herself with the idea of letting out her past. It would be so easy to say,  
'Well, miss, I was one of her ladies-in-waiting. Oh, how I loved my Queen! But, this man, William. He had been looking for me ever since I was a child, he wanted my hand in marriage. He found me in the castle, he found me, and he touched me, and he wouldn't leave, and it went on for 3 whole years! I couldn't do anything, because my Queen was becoming more and more hardened by the day! Another lady was banished for having a relationship, and a sinful one like mine would never stand! But, against all my trying, one day William came, and my Queen found out. Oh, she was furious! I pleaded with her, because it wasn't my fault! But, I was ordered to be beheaded, and I was in the tower, looking over London. The people were chanting for my death! They kept chanting until I was brought up, and they cheered. For my death. The swordsman swung his blade, and I woke up here. Do you know why I'm here?'

Focusing back in, Luella realized she had left Catherine hanging.   
"Yes, miss, I am 18. I am afraid I've gotten lost. Can you help me?"  
Luella hated being asking a complete stranger for help, but Catherine sighed, and looked to Luella with pity in her eyes.  
"Babe, you don't need to ask." She then hesitates, as if wondering if this was the right thing to say, "I live with some… people that you may have something in common with. Can I take you there?"

Luella doubted anyone in this world could understand her. She thought again about trusting Catherine. Her mind still came up with scenarios of kidnapping and murder, each worse than the rest. But, Luella nodded. Hopefully, she could get some rest.

Catherine led Luella out of the park. She noticed the sun was starting to set, and wondered how long she had slept before her nightmare woke her up. As they were exiting the park, Catherine said,  
"I never caught your name. You are..."  
She hesitated before trusting Catherine, just a little bit.

"Luella Eldridge," she said, gaining a small bit of confidence in just saying her name without any titles. Not Lady Luella Eldridge, lady-in-waiting to her Majesty the good Queen Bess. Just Luella.


	2. Finding Your Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luella finally meets the other queens! Nothing really happens in this chapter though. Oh well, c'est la vie. Enjoy!

Luella and Catherine crossed a couple streets before reaching what Catherine described as,  
"Our apartment complex."  
Noticing the 'our', Luella asked,  
"Who else lives with you?"  
Catherine seemed to think about the question, before taking a deep breath and saying,  
"Me and some, uh, friends. One thing you should know… we were the wives of Henry VIII."  
Luella's eyes widened in shock. Catherine rushed to explain,  
"As far as we know, it's just us, and 4 of our ladies-in-waiting that were reincarnated. The ladies-in-waiting live in a separate suite, but right next to us. Also, it gets pretty loud. Just go with it, they'll love you, especially Seymour."

Too star-struck to speak, Luella realized she had been talking to Queen Catherine of Aragon, and she was going to meet all the other queens. Maybe they really could understand her problems. Maybe she could get some answers. She anxiously followed her to some steps that led to an unassuming door. No one would assume former queens lived in it, Luella thought. Catherine grabbed some keys from her pocket and went into the apartment, as she called it. Immediately, Luella smelled something cooking, maybe burning, and heard laughing from a room further inside. Catherine told her to take her shoes off and follow her to the other room, so she did, but when she reached the warmly lit room, Catherine said,   
"Hide behind me. You're gonna be a surprise."  
Half-crouching behind Catherine, Luella heard Catherine yell to the maybe two people in the room,  
"Good evening everybody, I-"  
"Finally back from your walk, Catalina! Now, tell Kat that straws have 2 holes, because they do!"  
A smaller woman in green pajamas practically yelled this at Catherine, as another woman with pink hair? Wow, the 21st century is amazing, Luella thought. She noticed both girls in the room also had a neckcloth. Maybe it’s just a fashion thing in the 21st century, but Luella was thankful for it. Focusing back on the room, a woman with pink hair argued back,  
"Anne. My dearest cousin. Straws have one continuous hole, it's just common sense, isn't it Catherine?"  
Catherine sighed.  
"You two need to stop for just one second and gather everyone here. I have a surprise."  
The pink-haired woman, Kat? squealed.  
"I love surprises, and from your face, it's gonna be a good one. I'll get Cathy and Anna!"  
She went upstairs to alert the others of the surprise, but the shorter woman sat down and stuck her tongue out at Catherine, saying,  
“We were having a good argument, Aragon!”  
Luella let out a gasp. How dare she disrespect and talk back to a queen like that! She then remembered that she was called Anne, therefore she was either Anna von Kleve or Anne Boleyn, and both were highly respected queens, for one reason or another. Relaxing, Luella smiled a bit at the friendly relationship the queens had.

Kat returned back downstairs with 2 other women, and they sat down on the couch. Luella hears they were discussing one of theirs writing, and how to make verses more eloquent. Luella was listening in on the woman in red pajamas say something about rhythm, but Catherine spoke, asking,  
"Where's Jane?"  
"I'm right here," came a voice from behind her. Luella jumped and curtsied to who could only be Jane Seymour. 

Jane was caught off guard, and started laughing at Luella. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. There probably weren't curtsies in the 21st century. Catherine turned to Jane and led her into the big room.  
"So, today while I was on my walk, I met someone."  
"Oooh, who's the lucky guy or gal?" asked Anne.  
Catherine ignored her and went on.   
"She was in the park all alone, and I invited her to rest with us for as long as she needs."  
Catherine moved and Luella finally got a good look at each queen. They all expected her to say something, but under the queens' gaze, she froze. Catherine faced her and said in a soft voice,   
"Do you want me to explain?"  
"Yes, please," Luella answered, voice soft from nerves.

Catherine told the queens how she was on a walk and found Luella. She left out the part with Luella's screams for her queen, for which she was grateful. If Anne Boleyn really was in this room, she thought, she'd have a lot of explaining to do. Zoning back in, Luella heard Catherine finish up her story with,  
"So, here is Luella Eldridge."

A woman who seemed to exude the feeling of gentleness, whom Luella recognized as Jane Seymour, spoke up.  
"Welcome to our home, love. I'd like to apologize for laughing at you earlier, I'm simply not used to meeting someone and have them curtsy at me anymore."  
Luella smiled gratefully at Jane. But internally, she was kicking herself. Why would she curtsy if no one knew she wasn't from this time? They probably suspect something, they probably wouldn't like her, she was beheaded by royal orders from the queen herself! The queen who was one of these queens' daughter! Pulling herself back to reality, Luella caught Jane talking to everyone in the room, something about dinner. Red pajamas said,  
"About time, Janey! I'm starving!"

Everyone else left the living room, but Luella just watched them leave. The last person to the kitchen, the woman who was discussing her writing earlier, turned to Luella. She said,  
"You can come too, you know. Jane's cooking can be all over the place, but it's always made with love."  
This woman must've thought her hesitation was from the slightly burnt smell coming from the kitchen, not a longing for friends- no family, like this.  
"I'm Catherine Parr, but everyone here calls me Cathy. Come on, you look like you haven't eaten in forever!"  
As Luella was thinking, it really has been a long time since I've eaten (literally), Cathy gently pulled Luella into a chair and pink-haired girl set down a plate with eggs that were a little too dark around the edges, but Luella didn't care. 

She waited until all the other queens started eating, just to make sure she wasn't doing anything wrong, then dug in. Maybe it was the lack of food for the past couple centuries, but Luella swore it was the best thing she'd ever eaten. She must've accidentally said that aloud, because Anne turned to her, saying,  
"You really must be hungry if this is the best thing you've had! Not saying this isn't delicious, Seymour, but…"  
She trailed off, as if everyone knew what she was going to say. Everyone DID seem to know what the unsaid words were, because most nodded. Again, Luella wished she could have this closeness with a group of people. 

She cleared her throat a little, and said,  
"Um, what are all of your names, again?"  
Every single queens' eyes got wide as they swallowed and all scrambled to give their names. After everyone introduced themselves all at once, they all started laughing, and it was so contagious, Luella had to join in. When the laughter calmed down, they introduced themself in order of marriage, which felt odd to Luella. It helped to remember who was who, but wouldn't they want to be known as more than the six ex-wives of Henry VIII?

"I'm Catherine of Aragon, you already know me."  
"I'm Anne Boleyn! Nice to meet ya!"  
"I'm Jane Seymour, it's great to meet you."  
"Anna von Kleves here! Lovely to meet you, babes!"  
"I'm Katherine Howard, but you can call me Kat!"  
"And I'm Cathy Parr. Welcome to our home."

Attaching each name with each face in her mind, Luella smiled and said,  
"It's great to meet you too! Thank you so much for giving me a meal."  
A chorus of 'You're welcome' rang out, and each queen turned back to their food, content with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Maybe check me out on tumblr, @thatenglishmuff ? Thank you so much for checking me out!


	3. Wonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luella discovers new technology and is blown away, but who wouldn't be? Also Newsies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Again, not much happens in the chapter, but we're getting there, I promise! Thanks for reading!

When the plates were put away, Catherine turned to Luella.   
"You want to wash up? The shower's free at the moment."  
Pretending she knew what that meant, Luella nodded. Catherine directed her to a smaller room upstairs. She turned the light on for Luella and said,  
"Come back down when you're done!"  
After a second, she popped back in with a soft towel, and a brush, "for when you get out".

She closed the door behind her as she left, and Luella was faced with a huge mirror, and a toilet and a big blue curtain. Well, Catherine said 'wash up' so is she supposed to clean herself? With what? Braving the curtain, Luella pulled it back to see a tub of sorts, and a dial. Not daring to touch it, Luella turned back to her reflection. That mirror must've been expensive, it was long enough that she could stand up straight and see her entire top torso. Then, the thought came that maybe mirrors weren't as expensive now as they were in the 1500s. 

She turned a knob in the sink. Maybe they had clean water in common places here, not just in the castle. She was surprised to have smooth water come from the tap, not too cold and not too hot. Luella deduced that the shower? Is that what Catherine called it? The shower was like a tap, but bigger. She turned the handle on the shower dial, and water cold at first, but then warm, then hot, came out. Almost giddy with the prospect of a warm shower, Luella took her clothes off and eagerly got in. The 21st century was awesome, she decided. 

After staying in the shower for probably a bit too long, Luella dragged herself out. She dried herself with the towel Catherine had given her, she put on her old clothes, which were still fairly clean, save for the blood-crusted neckcloth. Everything else must've appeared clean when Luella appeared in this time. After washing a bit of the blood off of the neckcloth, careful not to look anywhere near her neck, Luella found a brush from a drawer and attempted to tame her new wild curls, but to no avail. Putting her neckcloth back around her neck, which was now beginning to scar horribly, Luella gave herself a once over in the large mirror. She deemed herself appropriate for the queens, and stepped out to the hallway.

Instead of voices like she expected, Luella heard nothing at first, but as she strained her ears, she heard a hushed conversation from the dining room. Creeping closer, she heard bits of a conversation.  
“...screaming, clawing...queen...avoided the question…18...nothing.”  
The bits of conversation Luella caught sounded like her encounter with Catherine earlier in the day. She was angry when she realized they were talking about her. She kept her secrets for a reason! Luella turned back into the shower room and closed the door, tears threatening to spill. She trusted that Catherine would keep her outburst secret, not turn around and tell it the moment she left the room, in front of her queen’s mother, no less! Reality shifting, she was clutching onto the counter for dear life. Luella thought she might even break it. Tears flowed down her cheeks and Luella knew she’d have to tell the truth eventually. 

When the tears slowed and Luella’s breaths became more even, she pulled her hands away from the cool of the counter, slightly surprised that there weren’t any marks from how tight she was holding it. Splashing some water on her face, Luella took a few steadying breaths and squared her shoulders. A couple of whispered discussions couldn't hurt her. Even though it did, when rumors were flying around court that she was - don't think about that. Faking a confident smile that, as much as she tried, didn't reach her eyes, Luella opened the door.

She crept down the stairs, as to not interrupt any conversation, but the queens seemed to be silent again, but this time, they were all on the couch or floor watching a box with moving pictures. Taking in the magic box, Luella discovered it made noise too, but whatever the queens were watching was at a slow bit, with not as much talking. People moved inside the box, and it was so lifelike, Luella felt as if she could just reach out and touch it. She didn't, she wanted to stay hidden, but the urge was real. The scene changed on the magic box and another person came onto the screen. A queen, Anna maybe, said,  
"Booooo! We don't want your plot, we want Jack's plot!"

Some other queens giggled at this, and Luella assumed that the magic box was like a play, but modernized. And the people in the play couldn't hear you, maybe not see you either. Unless the actors were really nice, and let people yell at them from the audience. Either way, Luella was fascinated. She watched the queens, who, in turn, watched the play. At a break in the play, she could tell, because the queens suddenly lost all interest in the magic box, Luella stepped into the living room. At first, only Kat and Cathy noticed, but after a couple seconds, everyone turned to her. She sheepishly waved at the group, and was met with smiles all around. 

Jane said,  
“You wanna join us, sweetheart?”  
Anne piped up, saying,  
“We’re watching Newsies!”

Luella once again pretended to know what that was, and nodded, not yet trusting herself to speak. She sat down on a chair next to the couch the queens were crammed on. She grabbed a pillow to hug, it always made her feel better, and Catherine asked, probably as a courtesy,  
“Have you ever seen Newsies?”  
Luella mustered up her voice as inconspicuously as she could, and gave a weak,  
“No, but I’ve heard of it.”   
A lie, but one that seemed to satisfy the queens, even though they almost certainly knew about her whole not-being-from-this-time thing. 

They all turned their attention to the magic box as a man starting singing about longing for a city where there was lots of fresh air and a gorgeous sky, called Santa Fe, or something like that. He sang of being sick of old men owning him, and being stuck in a hopeless position. It seemed as if he sang the words directly from her heart, over 400 years ago. Tears pricked the sides of her eyes once again, and she felt how this man felt, although he was just an actor. 

A quick glance showed some of the other queens tearing up slightly too. Luella didn't feel so alone, now, knowing the queens and her felt similar emotions. It would seem like common sense, but the reminder helped Luella take down a brick in the wall around her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know, my choir class was watching Newsies when I wrote this. Hope it fit in as well as I hoped. Maybe check me out on tumblr, @thatenglishmuff ? Thanks again for reading and have an excellent day!

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 done! Perhaps you could give me a visit on tumblr, @thatenglishmuff ? Again, thanks for reading, and have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night!


End file.
